Forms of Water...
10/1/2021
At the beginning of August, I took a trip out to the west coast. It was planned since the springtime of this year, and with the hopes that safe travel would be once again achievable and the pandemic would be behind us. As this was not the case, I had severe anxiety leading up to the trip, including seriously considering cancelling my flight the day before I was scheduled to depart. I ended up going anyway, and though I had a nice time out there, I am not planning on traveling anywhere anytime soon.
The trip was for a life celebration. My grandmother moved onto the next big thing early this year, and it was planned to have a family lunch to share memories. Most of our family were able to make it, though I left my kids at home rather than travel with them, as they are not old enough to be vaccinated yet. It was a quick, whirlwind trip, taking place from Saturday morning to Sunday night (very early Monday morning, it turned out). On Sunday, before our flight back, we stopped by the Gambel gardens in Palo Alto, and then had the tremendous luck to be continually delayed on our layover in Las Vegas, before heading back to Albuquerque, double-masked, seated next to a woman wearing a sparkly sequin covered mesh face mask. "But my nose and mouth ARE covered."
The trip was for a life celebration. My grandmother moved onto the next big thing early this year, and it was planned to have a family lunch to share memories. Most of our family were able to make it, though I left my kids at home rather than travel with them, as they are not old enough to be vaccinated yet. It was a quick, whirlwind trip, taking place from Saturday morning to Sunday night (very early Monday morning, it turned out). On Sunday, before our flight back, we stopped by the Gambel gardens in Palo Alto, and then had the tremendous luck to be continually delayed on our layover in Las Vegas, before heading back to Albuquerque, double-masked, seated next to a woman wearing a sparkly sequin covered mesh face mask. "But my nose and mouth ARE covered."
All day the stars watch from long ago
my mother said I am going now when you are alone you will be all right whether or not you know you will know look at the old house in the dawn rain all the flowers are forms of water the sun reminds them through a white cloud touches the patchwork spread on the hill the washed colors of the afterlife that lived there long before you were born see how thy wake without a question even though the whole world is burning W.S. Merwin, from The Shadow of Sirius |